Underground or buried vaults, pits, chambers or boxes used in the utilities, security and rail line sectors or other industries can contain co-axial or optical fiber, copper cable as well as gas and power lines and other conduits, industrial valves, Wi-Fi antennas etc. Vaults and pits for underground utilities often need to be opened for making repairs or for enhancing services. Typically utility vaults and pits include a concrete, polymer concrete, cast iron, galvanized steel or plastic lid which is opened by a tool or pick with a hook at one end. The hook is inserted through a hole in the lid or cover and is used for prying the lid or cover away from its opening atop the vault or pit.
Because underground utility vaults or pits are often times required to be located in sidewalks, right aways, alley ways and streets or other high traffic areas, the cover must be constructed to withstand substantial loads. Consequently current lid or cover construction is made from concrete, polymer concrete and cast iron in order to withstand the required loads. These cover materials can withstand substantial loads and have a degree of durability required for use in various traffic areas. A drawback of these cover types is that they are quite heavy, weighing in excess of 100 pounds or more depending upon the particular application. Consequently, due to their weight, they are difficult to remove for repair, maintenance or adding additional services within the apparatus contained within the utility vault or pit. Heavy covers can cause injury or other back problems to workers during removal and reinstallation of the covers.
Utility vault and pit covers are also made of plastic but these have limited application for use in areas where they are subjected to less load, i.e. green belt or yard applications. The problem with plastic lids is that because they cannot withstand substantial loads, they have limited applicability and plastic lids provide less coefficient of friction when wet versus polymer covers. Consequently a need exists for a new utility vault and pit cover design which is light in weight, yet is durable in that it can withstand substantial loads and provide improved slip resistance over currently available covers.